Specifics of Migration Development n the South-East of Ukraine in 2014-2020

Abstract

The article analyzes the transformation of migration processes in the south-east of Ukraine, caused by the consequences of the armed conflict in this territory. The study touches upon the problem of adaptation of internally displaced persons, which requires its solution, but the measures taken by the state do not allow settling the problem of accommodation, employment, observance of the constitutional rights of people who have moved from Donetsk and Lugansk regions to other ones of the country. Forced migration, which arose as a result of the military confrontation and the deterioration of the socio-economic situation, deprived the majority of the working-age population of the opportunity to work in accordance with the acquired qualifications. This led to significant migration changes in the region. A lot of citizens have become either internally displaced persons, or rushed to other countries, residents of the south-eastern regions of Ukraine, more often choose the Russian Federation. Therefore, this article discusses measures to regulate migration processes in the Russian Federation, which was largely influenced by the current situation, especially at the beginning of the exacerbation. An analysis of the subsequent steps taken by the Russian authorities shows that in 2015-2016 individual measures did not solve the problem as a whole. Therefore, later the draft law on simplifying Russian citizenship for compatriots who live in countries with a difficult situation or in conditions of armed conflicts was adopted in 2018. Finally, in 2019, Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation No. 183 and No. 187 with July amendments for citizens of Ukraine from other regions, and then additions to the Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” (April 2020) simplified the situation and determined the interest in these citizens. And the statistical data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation cited in the study confirm the growth trend in the number of such citizens. Although the lack of demand for their professional experience, the problems of settling in a new place require further regulation. Some of the citizens who have received Russian citizenship remain to live and work in the unrecognized republics. After analyzing the ongoing changes in the migration situation in the south-east of Ukraine, the features that affect its development and further migration trends in this region were identified. This article points to a possible military exacerbation, which determines the further development of the situation.